An effort in f a c i l i t a t i o n

The world must follow Prophet Muhammad to achieve success and salvation!

Ever since the release of the latest dirty video on our Prophet (peace be upon him), I was thinking to write on the historical reason behind mockery and the hate campaign. The question why Islam and its Prophet is always under attack by some groups of people has just one word answer: Jealousy! Read on…..

The Jews and Christians were already informed by their respective Prophets – Prophet Moosa and Prophet Eesa (Moses and Jesus, Peace be upon them) – about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the need to obey and follow him.

The Old Testament is old and outdated and the New Testament is no more new. Now, the world has to follow the Last and Final Testament, that is the Qur’an. This is the only way and there can’t be any other alternative to success. Arrogance and prejudice have be to shed and things must be seen clearly.

Our Creator’s Mercy is – and will be – upon those who are conscious of Him. And the sign that a person is conscious of his Lord is his believing in the Last Revelation and thereby following the guidance accordingly. This is the sum and substance of verses preceding verse 157 of Chapter 7 of the glorious Qur’an.

Allah then immaculately and eloquently continues in verse 157 declaring the status as well as the role of His Last and Final Messenger, the unlettered Prophet. In addition to this, the responsibility of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is also clearly mentioned:

“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the Tawrah and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.” (Surah al Araaf, 7: 157)

Jews used to call non-Jews as Ummi, the Gentiles, and they were considering themselves to be above everyone, an arrogance still found among them! Otherwise there is no reason why Israel defies everything and takes even the United Nations as a garbage bin!!

In this verse, Allah uses the same word ‘Ummi’ to refer to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and by way of responding to Jewish arrogance warns them clearly that even you, O Jews, have no other option but to follow this man, who is unlettered! If you are sincere in your claim of your love to your Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), then follow this ‘unlettered’ Prophet (peace be upon him)! You were informed about his coming and you were anxious to know about him. Now that he has come, don’t change your colour. Accept the reality and follow the way shown by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Likewise, Christians have been told that if at all you respect your Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) then there is no choice left for you now but to accept Muhammad as your leader as you were well informed about his coming by your own Prophet Jesus. So now, Jesus is not the savior, Muhammad is! (Peace be upon them)

And what this unlettered Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us? Let us understand one by one.

1. يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ – He commands them al Maroof.

Al Maroof in Arabic means:

a) recognised norms

b) established principles

c) goodness, virtues, actions or deeds the goodness of which is established by accepted norms

This ayah clearly indicates and declares that Prophet Muhammad sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam DID NOT preach, practice or propagate anything absurd, illogical, irrational, uncivilized nor did he call people towards cranky principles!

Islam, therefore, is based and built upon the principles of civilized behaviour.

2. وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ – and he forbids them al Munkar.

Al Munkar in Arabic means:

1. False, untrue, blameworthy

2. Wickedness, abomination

3. wrong doings, wrongs (in contrast to al maroof)

This tells us that Prophet Muhammad sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam DID NOT preach, practice or propagate anything that is false, untrue, blameworthy, wicked, abominable or wrong.

By calling people towards al Maroof and stopping them from doing al Munkar, the glorious Messenger of Allah, sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam, not only set the standard of his mission but also made it clear to the people of the world that Islam is a natural way to adopt by any human being who cares to imbibe civilized patterns in his thought and actions, those that are accepted as recognizable and civilized norms at any point in history. This, in other words, means that Islam is a way of life, acceptable at all times, at all places and by all people who care for the accepted norms and hate to commit wrong and evil.

3. وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ ‘and he permits them as lawful the Tayyibaat.

In Arabic, Tayyibaat means:

a) good, clean, fair, wholesome

b) chaste, pure

c) agreeable, pleasant

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon hi) allowed his followers all that is good, clean, fair, wholesome, chaste, pleasant and agreeable. The halal things in Islam are nothing but Tayyibaat, pure and wholesome!

4. وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ ‘and he prohibits them from what is bad (and impure)’

In Arabic, khabaa’ith comes from kh-ba-th which means ‘impurities, to be impure, to be wicked, to be bad, to be corrupt, to be vicious, to be nauseated; bad deeds, crimes, sins, evil, adultery; obscenities, abominations, sins, evil deeds.

In the Civil as well as Criminal Laws of Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, all things wicked, bad, corrupt, vicious, criminal, evil, impure, obscene are considered haram or prohibited.

5. وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them’

Isr in Arabic means ‘load, burden’.

Islam is a natural and easy way of life. It makes matters simple and reasonable. It is devoid of illogical and irrational claims and sanctions.

Islam frees people from superstitious restrictions and regulations imposed by both priests and the common people. Likewise, this Messenger makes their lives free from the fetters with which Jews and Christians themselves had bound their lives.

We need to obey, respect and honour the Prophet of Islam.

There is no better role model than him.

Defending him against mockery and insults is also one way of honouring the Prophet (peace be upon him)

2. Help him:

Presenting the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the people of the world – dawah – is one way of helping him. He is the Last Prophet of Allah. No ‘Prophet’ is going to come after him. So we, the followers, must take his message to those who are unaware.

We need to convey our Master’s message. In this way, we will be helping our Prophet (peace be upon him) to spread his message, far and wide.

3. ‘Follow the light which is sent down with him’:

I love the word Ma’a مع used in this ayah. Allah is not telling us that He has sent ‘the light’ to him. ‘The light’ has been sent ‘With Him’!

The Prophet of Islam came to this world ‘with the light’. The the light of Al Qur’an Al Kareem and the Sunnah an Nabawiyyah.

The Enlightenment that has comes to us ‘with the Prophet’ must be followed in letter and spirit.

Then comes the last word: أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ‘it is they who will prosper’! Subhanallah!

Prosperity and salvation lies in following the Islam of Prophet Muhammad (sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam).

There is no other alternative to success and salvation.

Follow Islam, achieve success.

The choice is yours!

Sharing will fetch You high rewards from the Lord of the worlds, InShaaAllah...